DuPage overnight.

Collection Firm May Get Scofflaws

October 24, 1995|By Annemarie Mannion.

Elmhurst — The city is hoping that parking ticket scofflaws will be persuaded to pay their overdue fines once a collection agency is assigned to their cases.

The Finance and Policy Committee recommended Monday night that an agency be hired to collect unpaid fines from parking tickets that are from 60 to 90 days old after three notices have been sent by the city to the vehicle's registered owner. The firm that the city is considering hiring is Malcomb S. Gerald and Associates of Chicago.

Finance Committee Chairman Jan Vanek said she thinks a private collection agency will have a better collection rate than the city has had.

The city is owed about $100,000 in past due fines which would go into the city's parking fund. The parking fund pays for the maintenance and debt retirement of the city's two parking garages.

Under an agreement with the city, the collection agency would be paid 40 percent of the fines from tickets it collects that were issued before January 1995, 30 percent of fines of tickets issued after January 1995 and 25 percent of fines for tickets related to code enforcement, such as keeping a junk car on a property.